


Marimo's Books

by rainday7x7



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon-Typical Violence, Doflamingo ("Don") is a bad bitch, Drugs, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Law has nipple piercings, M/M, Marimo Books (Sekaiichi Hatsukoi reference), Sanji is a bartender/café owner, Sanji is sexually confused, Sanji thought he was straight until he met Ace, Tattoos, The story decides on its own where it's going, Zoro dated Vivi before he discovered he was gay, Zoro is a Bring Me The Horizon fanboy, Zoro is a security guy working as a bookseller, Zoro is horny and Law is available, Zoro is pining for Sanji, Zoro still misses Shanks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:14:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27196327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainday7x7/pseuds/rainday7x7
Summary: Zoro is a security guy working as a bookseller at Marimo Books.Sanji owns the café/bar across the street. It's a bad part of town with lots of gang activity and violence.(crosspost from fanfiction.net, though edited and redacted slightly)
Relationships: Akagami no Shanks/Roronoa Zoro (implied), Eustass Kid/Trafalgar D. Water Law (implied), Portgas D. Ace/Vinsmoke Sanji, Roronoa Zoro / Nefertari Vivi (implied), Roronoa Zoro/Trafalgar D. Water Law, Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 11
Kudos: 24





	1. First Sight

**Author's Note:**

> Chapters 1 to 8 were written in 2012; I got back to this story in late 2020.  
> Please excuse the short chapters in the early stages of this fic. I dare believe, my writing has improved over the years.

No customers in sight. The blond bartender sighed. His name tag read ' _Sanji_ '.  
This was actually a great place in town for a bar like his; quite busy, sometimes a little too well even maybe, considering the crime rate...  
Usually, he had lots to do at this hour and might even need a help to serve all these thirsty and hungry bastards all over the dining area.  
But not tonight. He'd started to wipe the tabletops just to keep his hands busy. It wasn't really closing time yet; there might still be folk out there craving a drink. So he waited. And while doing so, he let his eyes wander up and down the street. Something just across the street caught his attention. Someone gesturing and shouting. A fight? Wouldn't be too uncommon. He stopped his cleaning and stepped out the door to have a better look. Right opposite to his café was a bookshop, a small Marimo Books branch. And obviously, some people were thrown out of it at that very moment.  
He frowned at the scene; realizing he was outside, he fumbled in his pockets and found a crumpled pack of cigarettes, fingered one out of it, and lit it between his lips.  
“Now get lost!” the shop assistant growled, shoving the two troublemakers onto the sidewalk. Sanji watched with interest.  
That guy seemed to be new in the bookshop. Bothering to throw out two rather harmless delinquents? Sanji chuckled, inhaling smoke.   
The shop had been broken into recently. And one of the assistants had been hurt pretty bad. That's probably why the new guy’d been hired; he was rather tall, looked muscly, and had that kind of vibe that made you stay away if you didn't want to annoy that hulk. And to top all that he had freaky green hair. Sanji shook his head, grinning. That's why they hired him? Marimo Books has its own Marimo now, huh? He laughed at his own joke. Definitely not your typical bookseller. But probably just the right guy to keep things in order, after all the shopliftings.  
Sanji dropped his cig and went back inside. But he couldn't resist looking back over his shoulder.  
The bookshop guy met his eyes. He looked still stern, but no longer like a rabid beast.  
He even managed a semi-friendly nod and locked the shop's door. _Weird guy_ , Sanji thought.

Eventually, the bastards had left. Zoro still grumbled about the incident. Late shift sucked.  
Only junkies, damned teenagers, and fucked up folks dropped in at those late opening hours.  
The only good thing about it was that he could sleep in. He stretched his shoulders. Yeah, sleep until noon, that was just his kind of work schedule.  
And then, no one wanted to work the late hours. So it was up to him to take over the late shift.  
At first, he'd only been hired as a security guy but was soon to be found a capable salesman as well. So he'd ended up working as both bookseller and security guard.  
He wasn't very fond of his work, but he didn't entirely dislike it, either. Sometimes he was simply bored out of his mind, or annoyed with those bastards trying to shoplift or sometimes even rob him on his way home. He snorted disapprovingly. Almost done for tonight, he thought taking the cash to the safe. Almost.  
He'd be walking home again since he'd missed the last subway once again. Whatever.  
The dark didn't bother him, neither did the cold. And he'd gotten lost often enough to finally know the way home. But it was a long walk, all alone...


	2. Second Sight

~some days later~

He'd just said goodbye to the clique of girls that'd been nipping on cocktails half night. Again, the dining area was pretty empty. He was just considering a smoke when he heard the voices.  
A group of skinheads was beating up the bookseller guy.   
“Oi!,” Sanji heard himself shouting as he stepped onto the street. Of course, at a moment like this, there was lots of traffic on this otherwise sparely frequented street. As Sanji reached the other side, he was surprised to find the green-haired guy on his feet and the bashers gone. Okay, greenhead was holding onto the door for support, but other than that he seemed rather okay. Except for the blood on his face and shirt, Sanji corrected his thoughts.   
“Oi, are you okay?,” he asked, sincerely concerned.  
The other guy chuckled, blood dripping from his left eyebrow.   
“Does this look okay to you?,” he asked right back, motioning to his blood-soaked shirt.  
The light gray button-down shirt was seriously ruined.   
“Those fuckers tried to stab me.” Sanji looked him over and stared open-mouthed at the gash in the man's face. Another casual chuckle.   
“Yeah, I guess they wanted to take my fuckin' eye.” It really looked like that; blood covered the left half of his face, including his eye.  
“You need medical treatment. I'll call an ambulance.”   
“Don't bother, they won't show up in this quarter of the town, anyway.”   
“But you need help!”  
“I'll help myself; don't you worry. I was on my way home, anyway.”   
“Where do you live?”   
“Five stops by subway.” “The last one for tonight departed a few minutes ago!” Zoro shrugged.   
“Guess I'll walk, then.” “That's too far in your state! I'll take you home with me.” Sanji closed his mouth; he couldn't believe his own words. Had he really just offered to take this complete stranger home with him? _What the hell was he thinking?!  
_ “Nah, it's fine, really.” The greenhead stumbled forward. Sanji shook his head, grabbing the other man's wrist.  
“Come. I'll see to your wounds.” Grumbling, the greenhead tried to refuse but Sanji insisted on taking him.

***  
What an annoying guy! But Zoro had given in as he realized he probably wouldn't have made it home, anyway. The blond guy's apartment was right above the cafe. Conveniently. So it was only a short walk across the street and up a flight of stairs. He said he'd just close the cafe and be right back and ran down the stairs again. Zoro only nodded and sat down on a little leather sofa in a nice living-room. He unbuttoned his shirt and took it off completely to better examine the damage dealt. The cut right under his right collarbone was still oozing blood, but not as bad as it had before.  
But it still was pretty uncomfortable. His face was worse though; as far as he could see (and that wasn't that much) his whole torso was smeared with blood. Or was he simply feeling dizzy, losing consciousness? Maybe he'd lost more blood than he'd thought... He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Just then, the blond bartender returned.  
“My, you're pale.” Then he saw all the blood, his one visible eye widening, the other hidden behind wild blond bangs.   
“Better lie down, huh?,” he asked, “I'll go get some bandages, okay?”And with that, he was gone again. Zoro closed his eyes. Half his face felt like it was on fire; his left eye twitched painfully. Then he drifted into unconsciousness...


	3. Good Morning, Sunshine!

Sanji returned soon after, stopping at the other man's passed out sight. He approached the couch, knelt down, and started carefully washing the blood off of the unconscious man's chest. His breath caught as he saw a large scar crossing the greenhead's torso from collarbone to hipbone.  
“What kind of _bookseller_ are you?,” he whispered, his fingertips brushing the hard scar tissue. Sanji shook his head in disbelief, his fingers still resting on tight abs. Then he resumed washing off the bloodstains and cleaning the collarbone wound. He hesitated, unsure whether he should touch the bloody mess in the man's face, but decided to at least wipe away some of the blood to better examine the damage done. He winced as he saw the cut right across the left eye.   
“I'm sorry,” he murmured, realizing the consequences of this injury. After thoroughly patching him up, and covering half his head with bandages, Sanji sat down onto a nearby armchair, watching his sleeping patient. The man's soft, even breathing calmed Sanji down until he dozed off into a dreamless slumber.

Zoro woke with a hell of a headache and no idea where the fuck he actually was. His one eye all wrapped up in bandages didn't really help, either. Then all his memories came rushing back, and he sat up with a jolt. And groaned at the sudden pain and nausea. The cut at his collarbone only throbbed a little, that wasn't the problem. But half his face felt wrong, very wrong. After a few deep breaths, he felt he could sit up straight without feeling dizzy.   
“Ah, you're finally awake.” He almost jumped at the voice speaking all of a sudden, turning in its direction.   
“Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Sanji.” He recognized the blond man sitting across as his savior.   
“You're lucky I was about to have a smoke when you were attacked.” Zoro frowned, understanding nothing at all. _And this headache!!  
_ “Huh?,” was all he managed. The blond – Sanji – chuckled.   
“I'm the owner of the café from across the street.”   
“Oh, okay. Thanks, I guess,” Zoro replied, his head resting in one hand.   
“So, what's your name?” That blond guy was being quite a pain in the ass...   
“Zoro.” He got a smile. “  
So, how do you feel?” Way too talkative, this Sanji.   
“My head hurts like crazy, and half my head is in bandages. I've felt better.” Sanji nodded at that.   
“The cut at your collarbone?” Zoro shrugged. “Itching a little.” Sanji smirked.   
“Woah.”   
“What time is it, anyway?”   
“Almost 7 PM.” “What the...?! I need to get to work, I...!”  
“No, it's all good. I was over and told your boss about the other night's incident and that you wouldn't come to work for a little while, considering those wounds and all..”   
“Wait, the _other night_? How long was I out?”   
“Two days.”   
“Oh. _Oh._ ” Zoro stared at the blond for a while.   
“But... why do you do all this? And what about your café?” Sanji shrugged.   
“I was around. And since I couldn't stop this from happening...” Zoro stared at him.   
“You feel responsible? That's ridiculous.” Sanji shook his head.   
“No, it's not. And don't you worry about my cafe; a friend's helping me out, so it's all fine. I can use a day off or two.” Zoro eyed the blond man for a long moment. He couldn't believe all this gallantry talk. He was somewhat suspicious, but he gave a mental shrug and dropped it. Breathing out, he asked,   
“Can you... show me the way to the bathroom, please? I'd love to take a shower, you know...”   
“Sure thing.” The blond guided him down a short hall, pointing at the door at its end.  
“Thanks,” Zoro said, heading inside and locking the door behind him, leaning heavily against it, taking a few deep breaths. He'd felt a little claustrophobic around the blond guy – Sanji – in his neat living-room and now gladly took in the sparely decorated bathroom: simple greyish tiles, towels neatly folded on a few boards, and the standard bathroom interior, shower, toilet sink, and even a tub.  
Suits him, Zoro thought chuckling. Then again, I don't even know this guy, really. He undressed, flinching at the fabric brushing his eye, and stepped into the shower, turning the water on, careful not to wet his bandages. As a comfortable warmth wafted around him, he started to scrub off all the blood and dirt still clinging to his skin. Usually, he only took cold showers, but right there he so needed a hot one. His shoulders and neck felt a little stiff. That probably was from sleeping so long on that couch. Other than the throbbing at his left eye, he felt pretty good. Though he didn't really know how to wash his hair without drenching the bandage over half his face. He'd need to ask for help. The mere thought made him uneasy. _Hey. Can you help me wash my hair? How pathetic!_ He sighed, turning the water off and stepping outside. His breath caught at his reflection in the mirror. He looked pretty pale and the bandage didn't make it any better. The cut had obviously not only damaged his cheek. Better have that checked, he thought, grabbing a towel from the board.


	4. Confrontation

Sanji stood on the balcony, enjoying a quick smoke before resuming dinner preparations. He wondered whether this Zoro-guy had already found out about his eye. Probably. Sanji sighed, flicking the bud away and returning inside. There he was confronted by the greenhead, skin still damp, only a towel wrapped around his hips, showing off with his fine, muscled torso. He looked rather uncomfortable.   
“What's up?,” Sanji said, trying hard not to stare at the huge scar,   
“Need clothes?”   
“No... Yes... But... can you lend me a hand, maybe?” Was he _blushing_?   
“Sure, I guess,” Sanji said, hesitantly.   
“What with?” The muscular man fidgeted for another moment, then mumbled hardly audible,   
“I... can't wash my hair with this”, he motioned to his bandaged face, “so... could you... maybe... help me?” Sanji stared at him for a few blinks, then struggled hard to fight down a giggle, but succeeded. “Uh, yeah, sure.” But his lips curled into a tiny smirk nevertheless.  
So he trudged right behind Zoro into the bathroom. Cocking his head to the side, Sanji remarked, “I guess it'd be easiest at the tub...” A hushed 'whatever' was all answer he got, before Zoro got onto his knees and bent over slightly, carefully arranging the towel around his waist. Sanji watched the half-naked, tall man kneel before him with a smug smile. _This is gonna be interesting._ Zoro pressed his eye closed, feeling embarrassed like never before in his life. Sanji massaged the shampoo into the other man's short green hair after soaking it wholly. It felt like a way too intimate gesture to Zoro, Sanji's chest, and arms brushing his bare shoulders. Especially his lack of clothing made him feel uncomfortable. Then again... he didn't quite know what to think of the whole situation. No one would expect it, seeing the muscular, manly man, but Zoro was gay. And he didn't tend to hide it. But in this situation, it seemed... inconvenient to tell just like that. He doubted this pretty blond was into guys. And even if, it was rather improbable that he was into him, of all people, just because he knelt here... Sanji was oblivious to it all, and focused on his task, rinsing Zoro's hair. Zoro tried to stifle a sigh but failed. The blond noticed and asked,   
“Is the water too hot, or did I hurt you?” Zoro shook his head, saying nothing; he didn't quite trust his voice at this moment. Sanji frowned but didn't ask any more questions.   
“So now you need some clothes, I guess?,” he said instead, getting up, carefully not to tug at the towel.   
“If you don't mind, yea... But I could also just wear mine and head home to...”   
“No way. Follow me,” Sanji ordered, guiding Zoro to his bedroom, rummaging through his wardrobe until he found a pair of black jeans and a dark button-down shirt handing both to Zoro. Before he left the room, he pulled a dark piece of fabric out of a drawer, tossing it across the room. Zoro caught it with one hand, realizing it was a pair of black silk boxer briefs.  
He blushed crimson, though Sanji had already left the room and closed the door behind him, in order to let Zoro have some privacy. The situation felt surreal and awkward, and so Zoro hesitated before dropping the towel and dressing. Good thing they were about the same height so it wasn't all that bad wearing some other guy's clothes; but the jeans were a little tight, however. Zoro took a few deep breaths, and then returned to the kitchen. Sanji had already prepared the table.   
“Come on, you must be hungry. Have a seat.” The blond's open, hospitable attitude still confused Zoro. But he had to admit, he really was hungry. So he crossed the room and sat across from this bartender-turned-cook guy. The meal – Zoro wasn't too sure what it exactly was, but some kind of stew – smelled wonderful, and Zoro's rumbling stomach reminded him that he had missed about 5 meals altogether.   
“Thank you,” Zoro mumbled between mouthfuls, “I don't know why you bother, but thanks, I guess.” His opposite only chuckled, before stating, “I like to feed people. And I didn't really do much, other than letting you sleep on my couch and lending you some clothes. Not that big a deal.”  
He shrugged to emphasize his words. But Zoro couldn't help but doubt all this kindness.   
“Your cooking skills are...woah... Why do you have a bar and not a restaurant?,” Zoro asked to distract his suspicious mind.   
“Ah well. Couldn't afford one at first. And now, well... Maybe I'm waiting for an opportunity or something. I'd like to serve actual meals at the bar, but I wouldn't know where to cook. And I'd need service p personnel and all that,” he trailed off. Zoro only nodded, savoring the taste filling his mouth. They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Zoro caught Sanji staring at him. Any other person would have asked what was wrong. Not Zoro. He motioned at Sanji with his head, as if giving him permission to speak.   
“So, you're a bookseller?” Zoro smirked. “Got a problem with that?”   
“Well... no one'd guess that...” At that, the 'bookseller' couldn't help himself anymore and laughed.   
“You're right,” he started to explain his outburst, “it's not my actual profession. I'm a security guy. Mostly work at exhibitions and official happenings, taking care nothing happens.”   
“Oh, and that's how...,” Sanji began, but broke off, not wanting to seem too nosy. Zoro gave him a long look and nodded.   
“Yes,” he said, “that's how my scar happened. Some weirdo had a katana at an exhibition and I was to protect the attending crowd, so...” Sanji stared at him, wide-eyed.   
“An actual _katana_?! That guy could have cut you in half!” Zoro sighed, nodding, taking a sip from his beer.   
“Yeah, and he almost did. Too bad I had no swords on my own back then...”  
“Woah, now, don't tell me you're a motherfucking swordsman pretending to be a bookseller! That's just too weird...”   
“I don't pretend to be anything. I'm only helping out at Marimo's, since some of their workers were robbed and badly beaten... Let's just say they had security issues. That's why I was hired.”   
“I see. But then the same happened to you...”   
“Yeah, and here I am now. End of the story,” the green-haired man said, taking another swig. “Intense.” As Zoro inhaled to reply, a knock at the apartment door could be heard. Sanji frowned; he wasn't expecting anyone for dinner. He opened the door to find a young smiling woman with long fox-red hair standing on his doormat.   
“Nami!,” he stated bluntly as the woman pulled him into a tight hug.  
“Hey, Sanji. Vivi's taken over so I could have a break and see what you've made for dinner. Can I come in?,” she asked, though she was already walking inside, kicking her stilettos off. And suddenly stopping still at the sight in the dining-room. She turned back to face Sanji, who had just closed the door, her face a mask of barely restrained irritation. “Sanji, don't tell me that guy at the table is the one you saved?!”   
“Huh? Why, yes, He's Z-”   
“Zoro, I know.” Nami shook her head, a sneer replacing the smile on her face.  
“So you know each other?,” Sanji asked, trying to ignore Nami's antagonistic attitude.   
“Then sit, eat with us,” he continued, offering Nami a chair.   
“I don't think that's a good idea,” Nami said, glaring at the still sitting Zoro. Zoro eyed her for a moment, not yet used to his newly impaired eyesight.   
“Oh, Nami. Hi.” "Yeah. Oh,” she snapped, putting both her hands on her hips.   
“You know that Vivi's working down there, in the café? And you dare come here and enjoy yourself...”  
Her voice had gone all hostile. Zoro gave a sigh.   
“No, I did not know. And Sanji brought me here against my will, after all...”   
“Against your will?!,” Nami interjected, “You gotta be kidding me!!” Sanji looked from one to the other, understanding nothing at all.   
“Can someone please explain what is going on here?,” he asked, polite as ever. Nami grinned evilly.   
“I'll tell you what's going on. _That's_ the asshole that dumped Vivi because he discovered he was gay all of a sudden.” Zoro focused on his beer, avoiding any eye-contact.   
“Oh. _Oh._ ” Sanji studied Zoro as if he'd just met him anew.  
“Vivi's just gotten over him, so she better not see him. Tell him to leave,” Nami hissed. Sanji stared at Nami. He knew she was right; Vivi was a good friend of his and having the guy who had caused her pain here was...plain wrong. Then again, hospitality...   
“Nami, see, I can't just throw him out. He's wounded and...”   
“Whatever.” Nami glared at Zoro, who sighed and got up.  
“Thanks for the meal and all. I better leave. I don't want to cause you any more trouble.” Zoro crossed the room, his eye still fixed on the floor.   
“No, wait,” Sanji tried one last time but Nami butted in.  
“The world's better off without this guy, Sanji. Trust me,” she said, sitting down at the table. Sanji felt torn. He wanted to agree with that; he felt he should agree with that. But something was off. He'd wanted to get to know that weird, silent greenhead. But there would have been problems anyway if that Zoro-guy really was gay. Because Sanji wouldn't know how to handle such a situation. _Again._


	5. Let's See

It was of course raining again as Zoro walked across town. He pulled up the shirt’s collar to keep at least try to keep warm, for a while at least. His eye had started to throb again, and it was getting worse as he walked. He decided he better had it checked. He didn't really know where he was going, and if there was a hospital close-by or not. But he miraculously happened to find one, but he was drenched to the bone when he finally made it there. The clocks read 10 PM. He was told to wait until a doctor was available. The nurse in charge eyed him curiously but didn't say anything. So, he just waited and felt uncomfortable. His mind drifted off. Memories raced through his head. Vivi. How he'd thought he'd loved her. How sex had been awkward. The encounter that had changed it all. Their break-up. How she'd cried and begged him to stay. How he'd tried to explain. _Him. His smell. His red hair. The sex._ How he'd felt he loved _him_. How he'd missed _him_ when _he_ 'd left. The one-night stands that had followed. It had all changed because of _him_. If he hadn't met _him_ , maybe he'd stayed with Vivi and pretended some more. But Sean hat changed everything. Though he was more than 10 years older than Zoro, it had felt right. And he'd really had feelings for the older man. But Sean* “Shanks” Reddo had left the town. Just like that. They had even shared an apartment for quite some time. It had torn something in Zoro and he'd focused on training and working in the security business. And after a few months, he'd been hired by Marimo's. And now, here he was. Sometimes, he still missed Sean and hoped he would come back. But he always reminded himself he should know better than this.

He was about to doze off as a velvety voice called his name.  
“Mr. Roronoa?” He startled, opened his eye, and stared up at the speaker. A young man with dark hair, sideburns, and a goatee smiled at him.  
“Follow me, please.” Zoro blinked and did as he was told, marveling at the striking tattoos gracing the doctor's arms and hands. Zoro sat and started to tell the doc what had happened. The doctor – his tag read _Trafalgar_ – told him to unbutton his shirt to examine the cut at his collarbone. He made a surprised sound.  
“This happened only two days ago?,” he asked, looking at Zoro. Zoro just shrugged and smiled, “I heal fast, always have.” Trafalgar gave a _hm_ , taking in the scar, his dark eyes lingering longer than necessary on Zoro's exposed chest before looking up.  
“Seems so. Now, let me have a look at your eye.” Zoro fumbled with the bandage, wincing at the pain.  
“Oh,” the doc said, no obvious emotion in his voice. He examined Zoro's eye thoroughly but shook his head after some tests.  
“Seems the tissue is severely damaged; especially the muscles around your eyelid. I'm afraid I cannot save your eye. It would require major surgery to restore everything and even then, it might not work outright. The wound will leave a scar, so your eye will stay closed since it will pull the eyelid down...” He went on explaining everything to Zoro. But Zoro had already expected something along those lines. The doctor then said he would stitch the wound around the eye to prevent it from further infections.  
“There you go,” Trafalgar said, “Nice battle scar.” He winked at Zoro.  
“I dare to say it suits you,” he went on, smirking at Zoro. Was he really _flirting_ with him?! Zoro blinked and blushed. The doc just chuckled.  
“Check-up's in a few days. Wear an eye patch, like a pirate.” He pursed his lips as if the mere thought pleased him.  
“Need a ride home?,” he asked, taking off his disposable gloves, while Zoro was already halfway out of the room. _Don't, please don't..._ Zoro was getting annoyed with these blunt advances.  
“No, I'm fine. I'll walk.” The doc shook his head disapprovingly.  
“You'll catch a cold. Your clothes are still wet...” Zoro only grunted and slipped out of the room.

He asked the nurse whether he could call a friend of his to collect him. She nodded and goggled him as he dialed. His friend answered and Zoro told him where he was and asked for a ride. He thanked the nurse and went outside to wait. He was standing right at the entrance, taking shelter under the roof. After a couple of minutes, a pickup halted right in front of him. He got into the car.  
“Thanks, man,” he said, greeting him with a fist bump. His friend shrugged.  
“No big deal. What did you do, anyway? How can working at a bookstore take your eye?!” Zoro sighed and explained. His friend – Ace Porter** – listened intently. At the mention of his savior's name, he pressed his lips together. Zoro noticed and asked what was wrong. Ace swallowed hard, and said, “I know that guy.” Zoro frowned and winced a little as the frown hurt the stitched up half of his face. “So what?,” he demanded.  
“I mean, I _know_ him. Back when I was delivering pizzas, you know, two years ago. That guy, Sanji, was sick back then and had ordered some pasta or whatever. And I... well, I brought it. And I stayed at his place. And...”   
“Woah, wait! You had a _fling_ with him?!” Ace grinned at the memory, a blush creeping up his cheeks.  
“Well, yeah,” he admitted. Zoro blew out his breath.  
“I can't believe you didn't tell me.” Ace gave him a look.  
“Why would I? It's not like you told me about every single one of your escapades...” Zoro shut his mouth at that. And thought of red hair.  
“But you're not gay,” he said softly after a moment.  
“No. And it was only this one time,” Ace stated matter-of-factly.  
“But I’d do it – or _him_ – anytime again.” He smirked. Zoro nodded, speechless. And realized Ace was turning onto his street already.  
“Well, thanks again, Ace,” he said, feeling a little uncomfortable. Ace parked the pickup and turned to him with a grin.  
“No problem, Zoro. Take care of yourself, you hear me? I don't wanna hear anything about hospitals for a while.”  
“Sure thing,“ Zoro said, getting out of the car. He waved Ace goodbye and walked up the stairs to his apartment, suddenly feeling very much alone. His clothes still clung to his skin, and he was cold. He hadn't been home for almost three days, and his apartment was cold. He went straight for the bathroom and ran a bath to warm himself up. He pulled off the borrowed clothes, realizing that he'd forgotten his own back at Sanji's place. Somehow, the thought of his blood-soaked, dirty clothes at the bartender's made his cheeks redden. But he would have to bring back the jeans and shirt anyway, not to forget those boxers. He examined his mirror-self. His face looked dangerous. Fierce, even. Usual grim expression plus newly stitched up wound that would leave a remarkable scar? Manly. Rough. Deterrent. It wouldn't make finding a new lover any easier. He got into the tub and instantly relaxed as the hot water hugged his cold, rain-damp body. He just wished there would be someone waiting for him, snuggled up in the blankets on his futon. He sighed and closed his one eye.

* * *

_*:I thought 'Shanks' was a little too odd for an actual name here, so I named him Sean with the nickname Shanks._   
_**:Yeah, right. I turned 'Portgas' into 'Porter'. Bear with me._


	6. Take Me Out

Nami had spent the last two hours or so bashing Zoro with every word that had left her pretty mouth. Well, her mouth usually was pretty, but with all those things she said... one might reconsider that.  
Sanji sighed. It really wasn't funny anymore. He liked Nami, he really did. Her looks, her voice, her laugh – he liked pretty much anything about her. But: she could be pretty tiring. Especially when she got worked up over something like this Zoro matter.  
“Sanji? Sanji! Are you even listening?!” Sanji had been mindlessly poking his panna cotta, and no, he hadn't been listening. Not really.  
“Huh? Uh, I...” Nami pointed an accusing index finger at him.  
“Don't you tell me you fell in love with this loser!” Sanji blinked at her in surprise. In love? With Zoro? Just like that? He hardly knew that guy. Wait, what?! In love with another guy? He, Sanji?!  
“NO!,” he shouted, totally exasperated. Did Nami know of...? No, he'd never told her about _this incident_. He'd never told anyone about him. Then, why did she suspect him to...?  
“Phew, I'm glad. I was seriously doubting your sanity for a second,” Nami replied nonchalantly, smiling sheepishly at him. Sanji overplayed his outburst by lighting a cigarette to busy his hand. This was ridiculous. Sanji falling in love with a guy like Zoro. With a guy at all. There was no such thing as love at first sight in Sanji's life; no, he tended to call that lust. And no, he didn't lust after that weird guy. Did he? No. He was just... worried. If he had been any faster, he could have... No. Don't start the 'if only'. But he couldn’t help but feel somehow responsible for Zoro. He sighed again. It was no use; he wanted to meet that lad again, no matter what. And he'd lent him clothes, anyway. Oh, and those shreds that used to be Zoro's clothes could use some mending, too. If they weren't beyond that already. Another sigh built in his throat but Nami interrupted:  
“Sanji! Stop that sighing, will you!” _Man, this woman really could be a pain..._

Zoro woke up late the next day, with the memory of a smile in his mind's eye. He was not entirely sure whose smile it had been; genuine and pleasant it'd been, however. He liked it. He gave a little sigh before he got up with a groan. He made and drank some coffee and took a quick cold shower to wake up. He picked a black button-down shirt and black jeans – all black with his boots. The dark fabric and leather felt good, soothing even. Downing the last remains of coffee, he finally made for work. Random people on the subway bluntly stared at him, some scared, some disgusted even.  
His features looked dangerous with the stitches around his scarring eye. But he shrugged it all off. He was used to stares and comments on his appearance because of his hair.  
As he made his way to his boss to tell him about the accident, he heard some of his co-workers whisper about his wound. They were obviously thinking it had had to do with some gang war or another. _Stupid folk!_ He tried to sound as casual and collected as possible, but his boss could see through everything. He sent him home, to take some time off to relax and recover. Zoro bit back a groan of annoyance; he'd wanted to come back and work and not feel useless. But refusing wouldn't be of any use, so he nodded and left.

It was late afternoon already. He thought paying the bartender a visit would be a nice idea, so he crossed the street and walked up to the entrance. And stopped still as he saw a flicker of bright blue hair. Vivi. He swallowed hard at her sight. Then he took a deep breath, closed his eye, and entered the café. He picked a table at the far corner, sat, and waited. She hadn't noticed him yet. Maybe she wouldn't at all? Maybe Sanji or some other waiter would come up to his table? Vivi seemed to be all right, he thought, watching her serving the customers with a smile on her face. There was actually no need for her to work here; her family was wealthy, always had been. So it was probably just a favor, a thing of kindness. She'd always been kind to those she cared for. Zoro wondered how much exactly she cared for Sanji. Or did she do this to be with Nami, her friend? Zoro didn't know. Then again, he didn't really care. Not anymore. She didn't seem to be suffering anymore. That was all he needed to know. He was so lost in his thoughts; he didn't notice her approaching.  
“So, it's true.” He jerked, his head snapping in her direction.  
“What?,” was all he managed. Her mouth was a thin line as she eyed him closely.  
“The story Nami told about you. About your eye. And Sanji.” Her voice was ice, heartless, and sharp. He swallowed hard as he looked at her.  
“What did she say?” His voice was thin, barely more than a whisper.  
“That you're a bastard and trying to win over Sanji.” His jaw dropped, and his cheeks reddened slightly.He did _like_ the guy, but... Vivi nodded.  
“So, she was right. It's such a shame. You're so handsome. Yet you're such an ass – and gay.” She shook her head. Then shot him another intense glare.  
“Leave. I will certainly not serve you. And since Nami's still upstairs with Sanji...” She grinned evilly. He didn't even know she was capable of such tones and grimaces. He gave a little sigh, his mind playing cinema, showing porn. Yes, he could imagine why Nami was taking so long... He averted his gaze, trying to hide the hurt on his face. The images in his head throbbed worse than his eye. Yet, he thought himself ridiculous for feeling this way. He was jealous, and wouldn't mind being upstairs with the pretty bartender. But he hadn't expected to feel for him. Then again, it might just be Vivi's words that hurt so bad... He got up and walked past his ex. She didn't even spare him another glance but went straight back to serve another table. Zoro was annoyed and strangely depressed. His mind was racing; pictures of the past and of possible futures troubled him. He walked aimlessly across town as if running away. After some time, the sun was about to set, he realized where his feet had carried him.

_The Ocean_ was right ahead. A bar and club, serving mixed audiences with a decent taste in music. The posters announced a show that night, 'The Captain', an infamous weirdo, dancing and stripping to amuse both men and women. Zoro didn't really give a damn. All he cared about was a drink or two. Or a dozen. So, he went inside. Loud, heavy music with a dominant bass filled the dark room. Zoro scanned the crowd, heading straight for the bar. The eccentric blond behind the counter dressed all in pinks, grinned down at him, licking his lips.“Oh, Zoroboy! Haven't seen you around for ages! I feared you might've started playing for the other team after Sean left you...” The blond knew how much his words hurt Zoro; he was calculating like that. Zoro scowled at h  
“He did not leave me, he left completely! And now, gimme a drink, Don.” Don smirked, raising an eyebrow behind his sunglasses. Why the hell he wore them in the club was beyond Zoro. Probably fashion reasons. _Ugh_.  
“In a bad mood, eh? Guess I better serve you something good, then. Good and strong, mhm, reminds me of _something_...” He licked his lips suggestively again, winking at Zoro. Don always tried his best to get Zoro drunk enough to take him home with. So far, without success, but he kept on trying. The music changed and increased in volume; the lights dimmed and a tall, lean figure stalked onto the stage. The eccentric man had a mess of scarlet red hair, wore tight leather shorts, a net shirt and boots, all in black, and a fluffy red coat hung loosely around his shoulders. His fingernails were painted a dark shade of purple, as were his lips. Zoro downed his third shot; he'd been too focused on The Captain to notice Don had slipped something into his liquor. So he simply demanded another drink; Don complied, with a wide grin, and shoved a glass towards Zoro. Said greenhead scanned the crowd and noticed a familiar dark-haired man with significant gold earrings. The emergency doc, Trafalgar. Trafalgar noticed his stare, turned, and shot him a brilliant smile. Zoro hastily turned his attention back to his drink. The striking man on the stage moved his slender hips seductively in time with the bass. He certainly knew what he was doing... Trafalgar's gaze was fixed on the dancer; he was captivated by this slim waist. The Captain noticed, and slowly approached, casually shaking off his coat and stepping from the stage onto the counter, lazily crouching before the mesmerized doctor. He cupped the startled man's face with one hand, grinning at him and leaning down to whisper into his ear, before giving him a playful peck on the lips. The doctor gave him an amused look and pulled him closer for a real kiss. They seemed to be either acquainted or bluntly into each other. Zoro had to look away; it was getting _way too_ intimate for his taste. He ran a thumb over the rim of his glass and nodded at Don who'd had the bottle in hands, ready for a refill. Zoro's mind was getting a little cloudy; that was unusual but he found it to his liking. He sipped at his new drink, then changed his mind, and decided to go outside for a breather or two. His stumbling out of the bar seemed to take ages. As soon as he was outside, he fell to his knees; the cold night knocking him down. Everything seemed to move, and fast. He wasn't used to this. He never got this wasted. He rolled onto his side, fumbling through his pockets for his phone, but his hands wouldn't move right. All he could manage was a croak as he tried to call out for someone to help. He closed his eye, though this didn't really help but made the spinning feeling worse. He heard footsteps and chuckling, the world spun even faster – and then he blacked out.


	7. Games

The first thing he noticed when waking up, was the distinct smell of metal all around the unfamiliar room he was lying in. He opened his eye slowly to find himself lying on a bare mattress on the floor, in a dimly lighted, dusty room with the shades drawn. Pain rippled through his brain, making him nauseous. Yet he looked around to take in some weird metal constructions; some looked like they were made entirely of blades, knives, daggers, swords – all shiny, sharp steel. Others weren't that deadly looking; spiraling figures, metal boards held together by nails and screws, building abstract, polished pieces of art. His surroundings didn't really help his rebelling stomach. To top it all, his head felt like bursting. He had no memory of any of the last night's events. It was all a blurry mess as if he'd had the alcohol share of half a lifetime. He could hear muffled voices from the next room. They sounded somewhat familiar but he couldn't quite place them. The unsettling blade structure reflected his features; a mix of dirt and blood was splattered over his face and neck. He checked himself for wounds, but couldn't find any. It seemed it wasn't his blood. But whose was it and why was it all over him? He was confused, and his head was killing him and he was at someone's place he obviously didn't know. _Pretty mess you got yourself into..._ A creak of the door opening made him start. The red-haired stripper from the other night stood on the threshold, his hair messy and his chest bare, an annoyed expression on his face. Zoro edged away and almost impaled himself on the blades; his back gained several cuts and scratches while his shirt was ripped apart. Blood droplets now graced the tips of the blades, making them even more vicious-looking and nightmarish. The redhead smirked at him.   
“No need to kill yourself after we saved your sorry ass.” Zoro only blinked and stared at him in confusion.   
“Don knocked you out and had planned to take you home with him. You're one of his favorite playthings – yet to be tamed and taken.” He pursed his lips. Obviously, Zoro wasn't his type and therefore he didn't understand Don's efforts.   
“Doc, you're needed here,” the redhead called out to the next room. Shuffling footsteps could be heard, then a yawning Doc Trafalgar entered the room, dark shadows under his eyes.  
“I see, you're one masochistic fucker, eh? Got a doctor fetish or something? Well, can help you with that one,” he said with a wicked smirk, approaching Zoro.

The redhead growled and left the room. He seemed to disapprove of the doc's flirtatious behavior towards Zoro. _Jealousy?_ He gave him a smug smile.   
“Ah, well, I better cut you out of that shirt. Lie down.” Zoro didn't like this situation. This doc was a little _too_ straightforward for his taste. But he owed him and his red-haired companion, didn't he? He certainly didn't like _this_ sort of payback, though... He lay down on the mattress again, forehead resting on crossed arms. He heard Trafalgar rummage around the room and then felt his weight behind him on the mattress. Zoro felt his shirt being lifted, obviously being cut from seam to collar, and as it was ripped off of him, some tissue joined it. Then he felt cold air on his bloody back. Just as he breathed out, Trafalgar straddled him, careful but determined. Zoro felt so very much at the other man's mercy, again. He still felt sick, so fighting the doctor wasn't an option. Those talented tattooed hands gently cleaned his wounds and ran across unharmed skin.   
“You're too self-destructive, too keen on shedding your own blood and scarring that body of yours. It really is a shame.” The doc's voice was all soothing velvet, murmuring close to Zoro's ear, making his skin crawl. A soft exhale sent Zoro's earrings dangling against one another.  
“But I have to admit I kinda like that attitude of yours,” the doc hissed, licking Zoro's pierced earlobe.   
“It suits you.” Zoro's reply was muffled by the mattress. When had he started to be _so cheap, so easy_?   
“There are things I'd love to do with you now, but I don't wanna risk Kidd getting into a fit and ripping you apart...or _me_ , for that matter.”  
He chuckled, then placed a kiss on Zoro's neck, whispering,   
“Now, turn onto your side. Check-up's due.” Zoro did so without questioning and looked up at the dark-haired man kneeling before him, examining his eye.   
“Impressive,” he whispered, “Almost completely healed. I'll take out the sutures, then.” Zoro only blinked at him; he didn't really care. As long as he wasn't forced to do anything with him... He watched the doc's every graceful move, how he held the scalpel, how he contorted his face in concentration. He was certainly good-looking, but something dark was lingering right underneath the surface. Zoro couldn't quite say what it was, but he was sure this guy was some fucked-up, twisted freak. Most likely sadistic or something...  
He had his eye closed as the doc removed the threads, so he didn't see the hands coming to cup his face and pull him into a demanding kiss right afterward. Zoro gasped, but the sound was swallowed by a mouth that wasn't his. A shove and he was lying on his band-aided back, a needy doctor lying on top of him. Tanned, skilled fingers crept along Zoro's stomach and down his jeans' waistband. Zoro's breath caught somewhere in his throat as those fingers slid along his shaft, teasing, tickling. He bit back a moan, as some pressure was applied to him. The doc wore a superior grin, enjoying this dominance game obviously. A loud curse and a thud from the next room ceased both his hands' movements and his grin.   
“Shit,” he hissed, pulling his hands back and sitting up. Zoro gave him a look; he had no idea what the hell was going on.   
“Kidd's already on the brink, I suppose,” he whispered and left the room. Zoro took a moment to collect himself, then followed.

He found the two of them sprawled in front of the TV, gamepads in hands, eyes fixed on the screen where a match of _Tekken_ was taking place.  
Kidd cursed again, but Law caught his gamepad before he could smash it into the floor.   
“Damn Azazel! Fuck! _Argh_...” The redhead ran his hands through his hair, worsening their messiness some more.  
“How about some VS matches?,” Zoro suggested casually, sitting down next to them. Kidd glared at him first, then nodded.   
“Fine, then. I'm Kidd by the way. And I'm an artist.”   
“I figured that,” Zoro replied with a smirk, “I'm Zoro.”   
“And that medical genius here,” Kidd announced, ruffling the doc's black hair, “is Law.” Law smiled smugly, gazing into Zoro's one eye. Zoro just nodded and looked back to the screen.   
“Have a favorite fighter?,” Zoro asked as he picked his.   
“Not really,” Kidd admitted, choosing Jin.   
“I totally love Yoshimitsu, you know,” Zoro said, as the match started and he lunged at Kidd's fighter. Zoro wasn't unused to this game, so he beat Kidd pretty quickly, making him grumble again.   
“I still haven't found anyone I like,” he explained, handing the gamepad to Law. Law tried Kuma (in panda mode) for a few matches, then reconsidered and sent his namesake into battle against Yoshimitsu. They played a couple of matches together, or rather against one another. Zoro noticed his two saviors had something going between them. Though Law couldn't refrain from flirting with Zoro at every opportunity given. Kidd tended to have some violent, neurotic fits, then, adding to his fighting skills and sending Law K.O. again and again. Other than that, he was a rather nice, laid-back guy, with freaky looks and inborn cockiness.  
As they had a little beer and chips break, Kidd asked all of a sudden,   
“What happened to you that you got yourself hammered like that, Zoro? At Don's bar, of all places... Really dumb, I must say.” Zoro took a swig, a little smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.   
“It's my usual place. I.. I didn't expect him to take such measures...” Kidd pursed his lips, shaking his head, while Law was simply watching in silence, his dark eyes fixed on Zoro's chipped lips.   
“That all?,” Kidd asked, sounding really bored.   
“Uh.. well, no..” Zoro sought for words.   
“Lemme guess. Heartbreak. Jealousy. Betrayal. The usual reasons to drown brain cells...” Kidd gave Law a look before glancing back at Zoro, who was avoiding eye contact.  
“So I'm right, huh? Someone dumped you?”Kidd downed half his bottle waiting for Zoro's story. Zoro was feeling uncomfortable; he didn't owe that guy any answers, did he? He wasn't even sure what he'd exactly felt when he'd drunk his mind away.   
“It's complicated,” he murmured, staring at the floor.   
“It always is,” Kidd said with a snort, his gaze boring into Law. Law couldn't stand that for long, got up, and went into the kitchen to get some coffee, or so he said.   
“You're into guys too, I take it? So, hit on a straight guy?” Zoro swallowed. How could that guy read him like an open book?! He pressed his lips together and nodded.   
“Kinda. I'm not sure.” Kidd rolled his eyes at him.   
“The way you look and act, it's serious shit. So better sort it out, or you'll end up in Don's bed...” Kidd's grin was mischievous, but no longer mean. Zoro's insides rebelled at the thoughts of Don.   
“I won't let that happen.”   
“You better. We won't save you again. Well, Law might. But not out of kindness.” He gave Zoro a long look.   
“Be glad I was with him. Otherwise, you might have traded a rock with a hard place.” Zoro nodded, muttering a thanks, then got up and left. He felt Law's stare in his back as he stepped out of the apartment. As he hurried through a drizzle, he realized with a shock, that he was not wearing a shirt. And that the shirt he had worn and that had been cut off him had belonged to Sanji.  
 _Shit. Things really only got worse..._


	8. Twist Me Right 'Round!

Sanji had just opened his bar for the night and was busy sorting bottles and stacking slices of lemons and oranges, as the bar door opens and some customer enters, heading straight for the counter.   
"Gin and tonic,” he ordered. Sanji just nodded and started preparing the drink, not really sparing the newcomer a glance. The guest chuckled.  
“You used to be much nicer, Sanji!,” he remarked cheerily, then taking a long drink. Sanji whirled around, his eyes widening at the sight of Ace sitting at his counter.  
“Ace!,” He exclaimed bluntly, almost dropping a bottle.  
“Surprised?,” the black-haired man smirked, “It's been a while, huh? How are... things?” He eyed Sanji from head to toes, grinning around the brim of his glass. For a few seconds, an uncomfortable silence spread between the two; a reminisce of their shared moments in the past...  
“Uh, weird lately...,” Sanji stated after another few breaths, his mouth suddenly feeling dry. He poured himself a glass of water, taking a couple of gulps.  
“I see. Zoro causing trouble, eh? That's so him.” Sanji almost spat his water into Ace's face.  
“You... know Zoro?!”  
“Well, yeah, he's my best buddy, you know?” Ace's smile was wide and serene. Sanji needed a moment to take this information in. The guy he'd fucked with, once, in the past, is _Zoro's_ best buddy?! _How small is the world?!_ His past and present clashing like this... this really wasn't necessary at this moment. He heaved a sigh. His fling with Ace wouldn't make it any easier... If Zoro _knew_ about that, he might get the wrong impression of him. Because he, Sanji, _wasn't_ gay. It was only this single one time, out of the heat of the moment and since he was sick then and... God, this all was so awkward! Ace finished his drink with one swallow and put the glass with a loud _THUMP_! back onto the counter.  
“So... what do you think of him?” Sanji knew perfectly well who Ace was referring to, but still asked, “Of whom?”  
“Zoro, of course.” Sanji exhaled slowly.  
“Uh, I hardly know him. He seems quite okay, I guess...” Ace's eyes had a gleam to them.  
“You should get to know him better, then.”  
“Why? You wanna hook us up or what?! I'm not... _gay_...,” Sanji admitted, blushing. Ace eyed him steadily.  
“But you don't _mind_ men. And...” Sanji closed his eyes for a second, pinching the bridge of his nose.  
“And?,” he demanded, sounding somewhat annoyed.  
“Well, Zoro _is_ gay.” Sanji swallowed, trying to keep his cool demeanor.  
“I know.” Ace nodded at that, grinning. Sanji mixed another drink for him, shoving the glass over the counter. Ace took a sip, before turning his attention back to the blond.  
“So... you're neither gay nor straight, eh?,” he asked, obvious mockery in his voice. Sanji lit a cigarette, took a few drags, and exhaled slowly, blowing the smoke Ace's way.  
“I don't like that stereotypical bullshit. I like who I like. I don't wanna be classified as this or that.” He took another drag, longer this time to emphasize his words. Ace's smirk hit him unexpectedly.  
“But who _do_ you like?” Sanji fumbled with the cig.  
“That's a good question... I don't know, really..”  
“So he's nothing to you?,” Ace pressed. Sanji's thoughts wandered off to the extraordinary bookseller...

Meanwhile, an already soaked Zoro had been picked up by Kidd, who'd offered him a ride.  
“You really don't have to do that...,” Zoro muttered for the third time. Kidd just chuckled. “Yeah, sure. But I wanna see that guy that fucked with your head. And your walking in the rain with just those bandages was just too pathetic...” He grinned at Zoro who just snorted in reply. As Kidd parked the car in a side street, he gave instructions.  
“Work it out. Tell him how you feel. Just do something about this. You're a fucking mess, and I'm not speaking about those wounds... They heal easily. Just behave like the man you look like, tough and determined, dammit!” Zoro sighed but also felt a little encouraged. _Weird things come in packs..._

Ace watched the bartender closely, nodding at his words, a smirk coming to his lips.  
“So you're free?” Sanji gave him a blank stare, forgetting about his cigarette, causing some ash to fall off the tip.  
“You gotta be kidding me,” he snorts, dropping the stub in a nearby ashtray. The dark-haired man gave him a genuine smile.  
“Actually, no. I wanna revive the past.” Sanji felt a blush creeping to his cheeks, so he turned his head away to hide it and light another cigarette. He couldn’t deny the attraction he still felt towards Ace, however much he tried to play it down.  
“Maybe I _don't_ ,” he mumbled around the cig. This is getting more and more awkward... He decided to pour himself a real drink, going for rum; he downed the glass in a few greedy gulps, enjoying the burn down his throat and stomach. Ace watched him, getting to his feet and surrounding the counter to approach Sanji.  
“You're a really bad liar,” he muttered and leaned in to kiss the blond as the bar's door opened suddenly.

Zoro entered with Kidd right behind him. He took a few steps, then caught sight of the scene before him and stopped dead, Kidd bumping into his back, muttering, “Now, this is something...”  
Zoro opened his mouth to say something, to protest, to anything, as Sanji turned around to him with a death glare. “You! Take that friend of yours and get the hell outta here!” He pushed Ace away, who only chuckled and said, “Bad timing, buddy.” Zoro just stood, perplexed, while Kidd watched everything with obvious amusement before he decided he better leave, Ace following through.  
“What's with that look?,” the bartender asked, motioning with his cigarette-armed hand at Zoro's more or less bare chest, covered in a mess of wet bandages.  
Something I want to talk to you about,” the green-haired man said, clearing his throat fidgeting at his jeans' pockets. Sanji frowned at that, raising an eyebrow.  
“Your shirt... the one you lent me... it got... destroyed.”  
“It _what_?! You can't even take care of a goddamn shirt?!” Zoro made some careful steps in Sanji's direction.  
“It was an accident. I'm sorry.”  
“Yeah, sure,” Sanji snorted, “That it might have been an important keepsake to me doesn't stir that simple mind of yours. Typical.” Zoro opened his mouth to talk back, then bit his lip.  
“It wasn't my intention...” The blond watched him with a bored expression, his cigarette hanging in a weird angle in the corner of his mouth.  
“So you wanna make up for it, huh? Sure. You're so easy to figure out.” The greenhead took another careful step forward, stopping only inches from Sanji, gazing at him.  
“But I mean it,” he breathed, watching Sanji's face.  
“Tse!,” the bartender spat and whirled around. But a hand caught his shoulder, turning him back around.  
“What?!,” he snapped, then Zoro inclined his head to clumsily kiss the blond. Sanji was too shocked to react right away; it took him a few seconds to pull himself together and away. How could that tall, muscly man be so clumsy and sweet? A revelation that Sanji would have never expected. However, he didn't approve of it and shoved Zoro away, slapping him. Hard. The almost healed up wound around Zoro's eye opened a little, causing a little blood to trickle down his left cheek, like a single lost tear. He raised his chin, a sexy smirk sprawled across his face. Sanji just stared at him, sneering and biting his stub. A vein at his temple pulsed dangerously.  
“Don't be so blunt, ever again, hear me?,” he snarled around his stub, miraculously not dropping it. The other one still wore his grin; he probably faked it, though, Sanji thought.  
“That was kinda girly, wasn't it?,” the greenhead said, running his thumb over his cheek, smearing the blood over half his face. That made Sanji lose his cool; he gaped at the other guy, losing his cigarette and, to his great shame, blushing slightly. Hell, yes, it _had_ been girly, like hell actually, but never would he admit that, not to that cocky bastard, anyway.  
“Or maybe you just like me broken and bleeding,” he went on with his muttering, fueling Sanji's white-hot anger some more until he couldn't take it anymore and grabbed him, for lack of collar right at his neck.  
“Stop. This. Shittalk. Or I'll smash that fucking face of yours some more. You have no fucking right to talk to me like this. You owe me, motherfucker. And I'll make certain that you pay it all off. Or rather, work it off. You'll do some _waitressing_ until I say we're even. And I don't give one single goddamn fuck about your past or present relationship with your co-workers. You'll get along. You'll work. You'll do good work. Otherwise, I'll come up with something, and be sure, you wouldn't like that.” Zoro only stared at the blond, open-mouthed. That's so not what he had planned... The smirk on Sanji's lips widened. _You'll regret we’ve ever met, marimohead._


	9. Kick Me Like A Stray!

The handsome blond bartender leaned casually against his counter, a smug smile tugging at his cigarette-holding lips, watching his new co-worker struggle with both carrying a tray full of glasses and his fellow waitresses.  
He was polishing glasses, but mostly just grinning and enjoying the sight before him; the greenhead looked admittedly good with his waiter apron around his waist, and a proper shirt on. Surprisingly enough, it all looked rather natural on him.  
He hadn't been too bad a choice, as it seemed. He moved graciously enough, though he'd broken, like, a handful of glasses and some plates already, and it was still his very first day, but he looked rather fine, in his black slacks and a dark green button-down shirt, with a few buttons undone at the top to allow a little view of a nicely tanned, scarred and muscular chest.  
He crushed his stub in a nearby ashtray, shaking his head. A tinge of jealousy hit him as he heard a girl's flirty giggle around the green one, but he didn't let it surface.  
He was the owner, after all. And much more charming and good-looking than this bloke, sexy or not. And no, he hadn't just called that guy sexy in his mind, no.  
The bloke in question was, probably unconsciously, showing off with his many visible advantages, wearing his trademark grim expression, that rarely turned into a sexy lopsided smirk...  
Sanji had to look away, grinning himself.  
The two waitresses weren't as much amused.  
Nami wore either a pout (towards Sanji) or a sneer (to everyone else) and complained about everything and anything Zoro did wrong in her eyes. Sanji chuckled behind his counter, seeing the green guy in distress.  
Nami was especially furious that she wasn't the center of attention as she was used to; no, this stupid guy with his open shirt attracted everyone's eyes; the girls' approving glances and wide eyes and the guys' frustrated, envious sighs and comments.  
A little trickle of sweat finished the picture: tanned, perfectly sculpted pecs peeking out of his shirt. Not a bad sight.  
Nami soon had enough and stormed off, changing into a way too tight top, showing lots of cleavage and some lace, as well as Vivi had traded her jeans for really short hot pants, showing long, marble-colored legs. Sanji definitely approved of all their efforts, watching their bickering and combatting with hardly hidden amusement.  
However, he decided to complicate things some more for the greenhead.  
“Oi!” he called out, a sly grin plastered to his face.  
Zoro trudged over, frowning. “Hn?”  
“Your colleagues said you're slacking. I want you to work your goddamn ass off, remember?”  
Sanji's evil grin was met with one of Zoro's death glares.  
“I don't care,” he stated simply, turning to walk away.  
Sanji spat out the cigarette he'd newly put between his lips.  
“You know, you’ve broken crockery worth about as much as the shirt? So, you basically added some more hours to your work,” the blond sneered.  
Zoro stopped in his tracks, his shoulders visibly sagging a little.  
He turned slightly, looking over his right shoulder.  
“That means you’re stuck with me for a little while longer, it seems.” There was no specific emotion audible in Zoro’s statement. Sanji wondered if he’d meant that sarcastically, or was he even happy about it? Zoro gave him a lingering look before turning back towards the waiting customers, refilling his tray.  
Sanji gaped at his back a little, grabbing for the discarded cigarette and placing it back between his lips.  
“Guys, I’ll be in the kitchen for a while. I’m trying out some new recipes. Maybe there’ll be a little menu soon… I haven’t decided yet,” he called, his voice turning into a mumble at the end while walking through the swing doors into the rarely used kitchen located behind the bar.  
Zoro served the drinks on his tray, bumping into chairs but miraculously not dropping anything.  
Name scoffed at him from some tables away, but he ignored her which only maddened her more.  
“Can you get us another crate of beer? We’re starting to run low!” Vivi called from behind the bar.  
Of course, she meant him, but she refused to call him by name.  
He gave a nod in her general direction and headed for the storage room.  
He let the door fall closed behind him and leaned his back against it for a moment, his first real break since starting his work as a waiter for Sanji.  
He heaved a sigh and took his cellphone out of his pocket, dialing Ace’s phone.  
“Ace! Dude, tell me when were you thinking about telling me that one guy you had a fling with is the one I am stuck with?!,” Zoro growled into the phone as Ace had picked up.  
Ace snickered before answering, “Ah, well, I was getting to that, actually… But you forgot to mention that you’re into him. That’s a bigger omission, I’d say. So do tell.”  
Zoro inhaled deeply. “I…I’m still figuring this out.”  
“Don’t take too long, buddy.”  
“What is it to you, anyway? You kissed him last time I saw you. Can you explain that?”  
Another chuckle on the other end of the line.  
“I might have tested him…”  
“Tested? What…?”  
“It’s alright, buddy. I think you can go for him. He’s at least bi, you know.”  
“Huh?”  
A knock from the other side of the door startled Zoro.  
“Are you finished soon, mosshead?”  
It was clearly Sanji. Shit, so he’d noticed Zoro’s absence already.  
Zoro sighed and mumbled a quick goodbye to Ace, putting his phone away and picking up two crates of beer.  
Sanji opened the door, glowering at him.  
“You know, sneaking off is so…tsk.” He clicked his tongue in annoyance.  
The greenhead gave him a flat look in response.  
“I’m just re-supplying, is all.”  
“Took you long enough. Anyway, I have something for you to try. The girls loved it, so I wanted to test it on a less sophisticated palate.”  
Zoro frowned at this but didn’t reply. He carried the crates behind the bar counter and waited.  
The cook gave him a little plate with a sandwich-like thing on it.  
Zoro eyed it for a moment.   
“What’s that?”  
“Banh mi. Something I’ve been meaning to serve for ages. What do you think?”  
Hesitantly, Zoro took a bite. He really enjoyed the taste. It was something he’d never had before.  
He chewed and nodded at the cook.  
Sanji gave him a genuine smile. Zoro swallowed again at the sight.  
Only a moment ago he’d been annoyed with the guy. Now, all was forgotten and forgiven.  
That smile could end wars, Zoro was sure.


	10. Jealousy

It’d been a slow business for a while in Sanji’s café-turned-bar.  
He’d sent Vivi and Nami home on Monday, telling them their support was very much appreciated but currently not needed, as only a few customers found their way into the bar recently.  
Apparently, a gang was the reason. According to the mosshead, it wasn’t a new gang, but they’d started acting up only days ago. So that was that. Sanji was so done with all this crime and violence in this part of town. However, he couldn’t afford another place to rent for both his bar and an apartment. At least, he thought, looking outside, there were more police patrolling the streets now.  
Sometimes, a young officer with short dark hair and glasses came in to get herself a take-away cup of coffee, but she was so completely _not_ interested in Sanji, it really hurt his pride. She’s even given the mosshead a lingering look, though that one hadn’t really registered any of it.  
Sanji clicked his tongue around the cigarette between his lips. Why did he care, anyway?  
His coworker was zoned out most of the time, lately. Maybe he was overwhelmed, Sanji thought, with the girls gone. Then again, it wasn’t like the bar was busy. But who knows how much algae are capable of managing? He smiled to himself and shrugged.

“What’s with that smirk?”  
Cue the marimo.  
“Nothing, really,” Sanji replied, exhaling smoke.  
“Anyways, if that’s what the rest of the evening is gonna be like, you can leave early tonight.”  
Zoro raised his eyebrows at that. He’d never been sent home early. Of course, he’d noticed the lack of customers, but usually, Sanji wouldn’t give much of a damn.  
“You have a date or something?” he dared to ask, giving Sanji a sideways glance while cleaning tables. Sanji stubbed out his cigarette in an ashtray on the counter.  
“Even if I did, you’d be the last person I tell. No, it’s just…”  
He wanted to be alone again, for once, to have some time to think. He’d never admit that out loud, but he’d grown quite accustomed to his new coworker. He was still slow, and still occasionally broke stuff, but all in all, he was quite content. And technically, he’d worked off pretty much all the damages he’d caused. Maybe the rest of the week, unless Zoro started to break any more things.

It was a Thursday night already, a little past 11 PM. Sanji made himself a cup of coffee. As he turned around to the machine, the door jingled and a customer came in, choosing a table in a corner.  
“Zoro -“  
“Got it.”  
Zoro casually walked over to the table, then stopped dead. It was that doctor, Law.  
“What can I get you?” he asked, forcing a smile.  
Law turned lazily, gave him a long, lingering look, the shadows under his eyes more pronounced than ever. Then he realized who had asked the question. A predatory smirk lit up his tired features.  
“How about your ass?”  
Zoro was taken aback by this plain-spoken suggestion, blushing deeply from his forehead down into the collar of his black shirt. Law chuckled at that.  
“I’ll have absinthe, please. Bohemian.”  
Zoro had never before served absinthe and had no idea what “Bohemian” meant in that context, so he walked back to the counter and asked Sanji what he was exactly to do.  
Sanji rolled his eyes at him, went to retrieve an expensive-looking bottle, a small glass, a slotted spoon, a small carafe filled with ice water and a cube of sugar, setting everything neatly on a tray.  
Zoro furrowed his brows at that but didn’t dare ask any questions as Sanji told him he’d show him what to do, as absinthe drinkers often ordered more than one round.  
Sanji carried the tray expertly to Law’s table, setting everything before him. Law followed the blond’s every movement with his steel-grey eyes.  
“Would you do me the honors?” he asked, gazing up at the bartender, a dark sparkle in his eyes.  
“As you wish.” Sanji was all expertly polite host.  
Sanji filled the glass up to the dose line, set the spoon on top, placed the sugar cube, and soaked it with a little absinthe before setting it ablaze with his lighter. Zoro watched in awe as the sugar started dripping down into the glass, then the melting cube was pushed in, igniting the whole liquid in the glass. Law’s smirk grew wider as he casually reached for the water carafe, adding a tiny amount of water to the glass to douse the flames, lazily stirring the drink before downing it in one go.  
“That’s how it’s done, the Bohemian Method,” Sanji murmured towards Zoro.  
Law smiled at the bartender, showing lots of teeth.  
“Would you prepare two more, master?”  
A sudden flush crept up the bartender’s cheeks, despite the ironic inflection.  
“Why two?” Zoro asked before Sanji could acknowledge the order.  
“’cause you’re drinking with me, Zoro,” Law drawled, motioning the green-haired man to sit next to him. The one spoken to gave his boss an unsure glance. Sanji nodded curtly towards Law, then turned to Zoro, shoving him a little aside.  
“When a customer invites you, it’s rude to decline. You can take the rest of the night off, anyway, so you just go ahead. Just don’t burn my bar down, you hear me?” There was a slight snarl in Sanji’s voice, but then again there often was, so Zoro didn’t think twice about it and simply dropped into the offered chair, while Sanji assembled the absinthe paraphernalia on his tray and carrying them off. Law watched Zoro openly, setting his right elbow on the table and resting his chin in his hand.  
Feeling his cheeks flush again, Zoro turned his gaze away, scratching his neck.  
“So,” he begins, “where’s this boyfriend of yours today?”  
Law closed his eyes and huffed.  
“He’s pissed at me, once again. And, conveniently, he’s meeting an old acquaintance of his. Or rather fuck buddy, from what I’ve heard.”  
Right there and then, Sanji was setting down the tray with two glasses of absinthe before them, flustering slightly at the words overheard.  
“Do you want me to –,” he began, but Law shook his head a little, sending an apologetic smile Sanji’s way, motioning with his left hand.  
“We’ll manage. But, please, prepare another round for us, will you?”  
Sanji scrunched up his face at that momentarily, but regained his professionalism, nodded, and walked off. Another guest had entered and was sitting down at the bar. Zoro couldn’t help but watch those slender hands of Law’s prepare his absinthe before taking care of his own.  
They raised their glasses to one another and downed the contents in one gulp.  
Somehow, he’d lost his dislike for the guy, no matter what Kidd had told him the last time. Apparently, they weren’t such a happy or chill couple after all. But he wouldn’t have expected Law to be jealous as well. Constantly horny, maybe, but the jealousy part had suited Kidd much better.  
To say the least, Zoro was confused and getting slightly drunk. He’d never had absinthe before and had underestimated the sugary, milky-green liquid. Considering he’d snuck into the storage room a few times earlier to have a quick sip from his bottle of rum…

After serving the tall man at the bar, Sanji brought their next round over.  
Now used to the procedure, Zoro and Law prepared their Bohemians simultaneously, toasted, and drank.  
“So that’s the guy you’ve been crushing on, I take it?,” Law asked all of a sudden, watching Sanji behind the bar counter, his thumb playing with his goatee.  
“I… uh…,” Zoro sputtered, “well, kinda. But I’m also still hung up on someone from the past…” Law answered with a knowing smile. “And how the hell did you end up working here? I don’t think you mentioned working in a bar…”  
Zoro shook his head, wiping a palm across his face. “One thing led to another. It’s pretty stupid, actually. I just… owe him, okay.”  
The glint in Law’s eyes intensified for a split-second. As the black-haired man ordered their next and last round, Zoro’s phone vibrated in his pocket with an incoming text.  
 _“Guess who’s gonna have sex tonight?!”_  
Of course, it was Ace. Zoro grinned as he typed a reply.  
 _“How’d you pull that off?”_  
 _“Spontaneous coworker hookup :P”_  
 _“Lucky bastard. Have fun.”_  
 _“You should get yourself also some game, man.”_  
 _“No such luck.”_  
 _“Just you wait! ;P”_  
Shaking his head, Zoro put his phone back into his pocket. Of course, he’d love to get laid rather sooner than later. There just wasn’t the right opportunity lately. Maybe…  
He looked up and found Law staring at him with an intensity that sent shivers down his spine.  
Zoro opened his mouth to ask a question, as Law motioned for him to get his absinthe ready, so he complied wordlessly.  
As they raised their glasses, Law’s smirk returned.  
“You know what, let’s get outta here after this,” he said, downing his drink, but never taking his eyes off Zoro.  
The one spoken to swallowed; tried to fight down the heat creeping up his neck and cheeks again, and gulped down his absinthe in one go.  
His mind had turned on cinema mode, playing all the moments Law had touched him during their last encounters. Especially the one time he’d slid his skilled, slender fingers down Zoro’s jeans, making Zoro squirm and moan under him…  
As Law walked over to the counter to foot the bill, Zoro slowly got up and focused himself.  
Sanji stood there, dumbstruck. Was that guy seriously leaving with Zoro now? What the fuck?  
What had he missed? And that smirk the dark-haired guy gave him… _What was that about?!_


	11. Ruin Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first real smut. But there will be more.
> 
> (First posted on FF.net on 24 October 2020)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cheers to [sootbird](https://sootbird.tumblr.com/) for the [inspiration](https://sootbird.tumblr.com/post/616533231158902784/different-but-still-the-same-moody-edgelord)!

They left the bar together, Zoro calling a cab to take them to his place since Law wasn’t sure whether Kidd would return to their apartment with this “acquaintance” of his. Either way, Zoro’s apartment was closer. As soon as he put the phone away, the cold night air hit him. Suddenly feeling light-headed, Zoro stumbled a few steps sideways, hitting a wall with his back.  
Law watched him and followed, graceful as a big cat on the prowl.  
“You’re not used to absinthe, are you?” he purred, pushing Zoro flush into the wall behind him, slamming a fist against the wall, close to Zoro’s face.  
“I’m goo-,“ Zoro began but was interrupted by Law’s mouth crashing into his.  
Zoro stared at him with his one good eye, hesitating for a moment, then he pulled him closer by his shoulders, obediently opening his mouth to Law’s forceful tongue.

Meanwhile, the customer at the bar had ordered his second whiskey. He hadn’t said much more than “whiskey” so far, and Sanji really wasn’t sure what to think of him. He had slicked back coppery red hair and a matching stubbly beard on his chin and upper lip. By the looks of him, he was maybe in his late thirties and had a very natural attractiveness to him, combined with a distinct smell of leather and woodsmoke wafting around him. He emptied his glass and heaved a heavy sigh.  
Sanji was just about to light a cigarette, as the customer asked,   
“Could I have one as well?”, a faint Irish accent audible in his raspy voice.  
The blond bartender shrugged and offered one, handing the lighter over as well.  
“Thanks, mate,” the redhead said, taking a long drag, after awkwardly fumbling with the lighter.   
“Haven’t had a good smoke in a long while.”  
At this, Sanji gave him a first thorough look and recoiled slightly. The guy sitting across had significant scars across his left eye, apparently without any damage done to his eye. Sanji couldn’t help but think of Zoro’s nasty facial scar and loss of an eye.  
“What’s with that shocked look? This happened a long time ago, nothing to be concerned about now,” the redhead said with a wide, but apologetic grin.  
Sanji swallowed hard and asked, “How’d it happen?”  
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”  
“Try me.”  
“Nah, that story would take too long to tell and I’m not really in the mood,” he replied, shrugging.  
Only then did Sanji register the lack of a left arm on the man in front of him.  
The man in question shrugged.  
“You get used to it. Pour me another glass, boy, will you?”  
“Coming right up, sir.”

Zoro shoved Law off him as the cab arrived, breathing heavily and his arousal visible in his features. As they got into the back of the car, Zoro could just about state his address before Law was occupying his mouth again. The cabbie wasn’t exactly excited about them making out in the back, but he was sane enough not to complain. His mind hazy, his thoughts filled with lust, Zoro didn’t really give a damn anymore that he’d disliked this man when first meeting him. He also didn’t care about the fact that there’d been a boyfriend or partner or whatever they might label themselves with attached to this guy until very recently. He just didn’t really care about anything anymore, except for the fact that he was very much getting laid that night. There was no way he was thinking of his ex or that hot son of a bitch bartender that couldn’t decide whether he was now into guys or not, no, he was completely indulging in the physical contact with Law.  
The cabbie heaved a sigh of relief as they reached their destination and Zoro shoved a few banknotes his way and tumbled out of the car, Law right at his heels.  
Half of Zoro’s shirt buttons had already been undone when they finally got into his apartment.  
Law took a moment to have a look at the interior, his hands still clinging to Zoro’s hips.  
Posters of several metal bands decorated the walls, Bring Me The Horizon being represented the most, including their allover tattooed frontman. Zoro followed Law’s gaze and felt slightly embarrassed. He hadn’t brought anyone here in a while; usually, he’d been taken home with whoever he’d been with in the respective situations.  
“I’m a sucker for tattoos,” Zoro mumbled, feeling those fingers of Law’s moving up his sides.  
Law slowly turned around to him, raising an eyebrow and taking a step backward.  
“Are you now?” he breathed, slowly taking off his black hoodie, exposing not only the tattoos on his forearms and hands that Zoro had noticed back in the clinic, but a whole lot more across his shoulders, chest, and a little down his stomach, as well as golden nipple rings that perfectly matched his earrings. “Show me.”  
The sound that escaped Zoro’s lips was a blend of a sigh and a moan.  
The dark-haired man smiled widely at him, beckoning him closer.  
Zoro crashed into him, retracing the lines of Law’s tattoos with his tongue from the left collarbone down to the navel. Law hissed at the unexpected touch, his fingers digging into the other one’s hair.

“Did you really just call me ‘sir’? Damn, now I feel old,” the redhead said, laughing.  
Sanji set the refilled glass of whiskey before his guest.  
“I just wanted to be respectful, is all,” he said, lighting another cigarette for himself.  
“Way to kill the mood,” was the answer, accompanied by a whiskey-induced chuckle.  
The bartender poured himself a drink, a glass of dark rum.  
“You started it by calling me ‘boy’,” he stated matter-of-factly, before taking a slow, conscious sip.  
“True that. I just remembered…someone.”  
Sanji offered him another cigarette that he accepted with a small smile.  
“So?”  
Law couldn’t contain a loud moan as Zoro was sucking at his right nipple piercing, holding the slender tattooed man tightly in place at his hips.  
He gave Zoro a shove before he completely lost his cool, sending Zoro staggering backward and onto the couch.  
“Oi, what-,” Zoro began to complain but Law was already straddling him and pressing his mouth to Zoro’s before he could utter another word.  
Law was rubbing his hardness against Zoro's crotch, still showering him with violent, needy kisses, making Zoro gasp and pull him closer, gripping Law at the hips, increasing the friction, nibbling at Law’s neck. The stifled noises Law made gave Zoro all the incentive he needed, rushing to get them both out of their confining jeans. He wrapped his arms around Law’s waist, lifting him slightly and moving him closer, so he was kneeling on top of Zoro’s chest, his erect cock right in front of Zoro’s eager lips. As he slid his tongue agonizingly slowly along Law’s shaft, the usually calm and collected surgeon arched his back, gasping audibly. Zoro fastened his grip on Law and took him all in, licking and sucking lazily and resolutely, paying great attention to the very sensitive tip, teasing and grazing it with his teeth. Law squirmed in his arms, his face flushed, one hand on Zoro’s shoulder to steady himself, the other covering half of his face, trying to suppress the noises escaping his lips.  
Zoro smirked up at him, one of his hands now tightly grabbing Law’s ass.

“What’s your story?” the bartender asked, removing the cigarette from his lips to rid it of ashes.  
“My story, eh?” the older man said, circling the contents of his glass.  
“I’ve lived in this town for a long while. Only recently did I move away. But there are a few things I missed and some unfinished business, I guess you could call it.”  
Sanji raised an eyebrow at that but waited for him to continue. The redhead sighed and took another sip from his whiskey.  
“I left, so people wouldn’t get hurt because of me anymore. But from what I’ve heard, it doesn’t really make a difference whether I’m here or not. So, I got to do something about that situation.”  
“Sounds like you’re in a dangerous situation. And this is just about the right part of town for that.”  
“Yeah, I know.”  
He laughed at that.

Law came hard and spilled into Zoro’s mouth, his tattooed body trembling. He looked a mess: tousled, flushed, and covered in sweat. It was a real pleasure to look at him in this state, or so Zoro thought. The calm, cool, and collected surgeon unraveling before his eyes.  
“I thought you were going to fuck me,” he murmured, his voice hoarse, “but I didn’t expect _that._ ”  
The green-haired man looked up at him, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.  
“I didn’t know I was going to do that until I did it,” he replied, running his hands along the sides of Law’s body, appreciating the sight and feel. He hadn’t anticipated any of it; if it was all just due to the absinthe or if he’d just been so sex-deprived, he couldn’t really tell. However, he regretted none of it. He started to sit up, carefully adjusting Law on top of him as Law had been kneeling too long and couldn’t really move or feel his legs to his great embarrassment.  
Zoro smirked at the helpless man on top of him and started to rise, picking him up while doing so.  
“I think I want some more space for round two,” he remarked, throwing Law over his shoulder and carrying him into his bedroom. Law could only gasp.  
It was a sparsely decorated room, with low, ambient light and all sharp angles in steel and white.  
The most noticeable thing about the room was the katana over his bed; its white lacquered sheathe gleaming in a wall mount above the bed’s headrest.  
Law stared up at it as Zoro set him down on the bed.  
“You had your eyes set on me, yet here I am, on top of you in my bed,” Zoro remarked with a smirk. Law shifted his gaze back to Zoro who was leisurely lying on top of him, his hard dick pressing against Law’s lower belly.  
“Ain’t complaining,” Law purred up at him, letting his slender fingers run up and down Zoro’s back.  
“I don’t mind being dominated if it’s done properly…”  
The look he gave Zoro was intense; he wasn’t _that_ drunk then, after all.

  
The redhead nursed the last bit of his whiskey, apparently lost in thought. Sanji gave his rum bottle a look.  
He could have sworn this was the first time he had tried that particular rum; the bottle, however, was already half empty. He frowned at that, trying to come up with an explanation.  
Maybe...No, he wouldn't. Would he?  
Before he could follow his train of thought any further, the man before him at the counter shifted and took out a fifty, setting it carefully onto the countertop.  
"Thanks for the whiskey, and the smokes."  
"That's way too much..."  
"Nah, keep the change. It's only fair, for reminding me of... my reasons for all this."  
Sanji gave him a long look but accepted. The man got up and left the bar, his woodsmoke and leather fragrance wafting behind him.  
Somehow, this guy...seemed familiar. But it didn't ring a bell in Sanji's head.

Zoro couldn’t take it anymore; he pulled Law’s head up a bit and let their mouths collide in a messy, desperate kind of kiss. He could feel Law smirking against his lips before he opened them to admit Zoro’s tongue. It was very much like their kiss back in the street, only their roles were reversed now. Law moaned slightly at the other one’s kiss onslaught. He was a little surprised at how gentle this muscular greenhead was, despite his tough looks. Not at all violent like Kidd tended to be when his passion hit boiling point.  
No, this guy was very demanding, yet considerate. It made him feel appreciated. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time. He wanted more of it, so he wrapped his legs around Zoro’s hips, pulling him closer. Zoro broke their kiss for some air, blinking slowly down at the raven-haired man.  
He reached for a bottle of lube on his bedside table, squeezing some of it onto his palm, then discarding the bottle on the floor. Sitting up, he drew Law up onto his lap, steadying him with his free hand. Zoro watched Law intently as he started to tease Law’s entrance with his lubed fingers.  
The tattooed man squirmed at his touch, but held his gaze and kept silent.  
Only when Zoro’s first finger entered did he make a tiny gasp of pleasure, impatiently awaiting more tactile attention. So Zoro obliged. Law jerked slightly forward at the next two fingers and was caught by Zoro’s arm holding him and Zoro’s mouth reaching for his to steady him with another deep kiss.  
“Just…put it in already,” Law hissed against Zoro’s lips.  
Zoro palmed his waiting cock with his lubed hand, adjusted his and Law’s position, and then agonizingly slowly pushed in. Law wrapped his legs even tighter around Zoro’s hips as the greenhead started to move. First slowly rolling his hips, then rapidly picking up pace.  
For Zoro, it wasn’t uncommon to be rather loud during sex; for Law, however, it was something new. He hadn’t moaned and screamed as much ever before. Zoro enjoyed Law’s gasps and sounds of pleasure, taking note of which spot to hit to get more of those.  
If he could have, he would have gone like this forever, basking in this moment and pleasurable tightness. But way too soon, or so Zoro felt, he came with a roar, Law clawing at his back and shoulders, shivering with his eyes closed. Zoro let go of the other man, carefully disentangling himself and then dropping onto his side, taking Law with him, still breathing heavily.  
Law had his eyes still closed, equally gasping for air, as he was pulled into a hug.  
Immediately his eyes shot open; Law wasn’t a hugger; and he’d never snuggled or cuddled with Kidd or anyone before that. It had always been sex and then sleep. Or rather no sleep with either his insomnia or recurring nightmares. But no displays of affection or caressing. He wanted to get away but he was too exhausted. It was absolutely no use that he was taller than the other; Zoro was freakishly strong, there was no way he could get out of that embrace.  
His face rested close to Zoro’s chest, so he noticed that the greenhead had fallen asleep almost instantly, one of his arms thrown over Law, holding him close. The slow, rhythmic breathing soothed his nerves, making him relax a little. Maybe…this wasn’t so bad? He concentrated on the other’s breathing and after a while, Law drifted into a deep, restful sleep.


	12. You Taught My Heart (A Sense I Never Knew I Had)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's flashback time! Sanji remembers his first time with another man, Ace!

When Zoro awoke the next morning, he expected Law to be long gone. What he didn’t expect was Law still lying in his arms, fast asleep with his face resting on Zoro’s chest. It was still early; not quite time to get up yet. Zoro stretched slightly causing Law to stir. He actually had intended of pulling the sleeping surgeon a little closer without waking him, but Law jerked awake, his tattooed hands around Zoro’s neck before he had even opened his eyes. Choking on his gasp, Zoro stared at the dark-haired man in disbelief. There was no emotion visible in Law’s eyes at first, then he seemed to fully come to, dropping his hands immediately, as well as his gaze.

“What the fuck?! What was that about?!” 

Zoro rubbed his throat with one hand, his eye widened in alarm. Law didn’t face him; he looked down at his hands, shaking slightly. He stayed silent for a little while longer, before heaving a sigh.

“Nightmares due to childhood trauma. I grew up in an orphanage and had to fear for my life there at night. Some of the older kids hated my guts. Usually, I don’t sleep this soundly, if I sleep at all.”

Zoro eyed him carefully. The older man seemed to be ashamed of this part of his life and what it had done to him. Law felt embarrassed, though he was also deeply grateful for a whole night’s worth of sleep for once. Kidd had been used to his thrashing about and screaming in the middle of the night. And also, his attempts to strike back even while half-asleep or just about to wake up. Kidd had sometimes hit him back to ground him. Sometimes, this had made things worse. He hadn’t been sensitive to put it gently. Maybe it was for the better that he was pretty much broken up with that bastard? Law sighed again, grabbing his left hand with the right, holding on tightly.  
Zoro surprised him by pulling him close, basically pulling him onto his lap.

“You could’ve at least warned me,” he said, holding the slightly taller man close.

Law didn’t know what to do with this unexpected display of affection. He certainly wasn’t used to this. And hadn’t they just had a casual hookup? Why was this mosshead so emotionally invested already? Or what was it he was doing, really? How could he be so forgiving about being choked? Was he trying to mask some of his feelings? Like, for that bartender? Was this all just a masquerade? Law was overwhelmed. Then again, he couldn’t deny feeling comforted in the other man’s embrace. There was something about Zoro that was soothing him, quieting his brooding and overthinking tendencies. He inhaled the other’s scent and felt his body release some of the tension.  
Zoro held him, one hand on the other’s back, the other softly ruffling Law’s feather-like hair.

“You’ve saved me, recently. It’s only fair if I can do at least a little bit of something for you in return, don’t you think?,” Zoro’s murmured close to Law’s neck.

“Saved you,” Law scoffed. “I had ulterior motives in place, you know…”  
Zoro shoved him a little away to give him a once over.

“Somehow, I believe you flirting so brazenly with me was a cry for help. You wanted to get away from Kidd, didn’t you?”

Law broke their eye contact, his eyes wandering this way and that, only away from Zoro’s.

“He didn’t really give a damn about me, unless he wanted sex. And he didn’t give a damn about my work schedule. I often slept at the hospital. Even if that meant I wouldn’t sleep much more than a few hours. Guess we were more casual than anything else.”  
Zoro made a sound in the back of his throat that reminded Law of a predatory growl.  
“Why do you care, though? You have more than enough on your plate as it is. You don’t need to add my drama,” Law said, scooting away and getting up.

Zoro’s gaze landed on Law’s tattooed back; the wicked smile looked completely out of place on this stern surgeon. Was it bitter irony? Zoro hoped not. He got up as well and followed Law.

“Take a shower, if you like. I’ll give you clothes.” He had to suppress a chuckle. This reminded him way too much of his accidental sleepover at Sanji’s place. 

“Whatever,” Law mumbled, and walked into the direction he supposed the bathroom was, Zoro’s gaze watching that nice piece of ass and tats shuffle away.  
How could he be thinking of Sanji with this guy, still naked, in his apartment?!  
Then again, he wouldn’t mind both of them… His dick gave an approving twitch. Fuck, he really was fucked, he thought, breathing in the smell of sex and, faintly, Law.

  
Sanji woke up with the biggest boner he’d ever had until this moment. He’d dreamt about that one night with Ace…  
_It was the night before he’d opened the bar and he’d been anxious as hell. To calm his mind, he’d ordered food to remind him that his cooking was far better than whatever this city could come up with. And there’d come a bottle of wine with the pasta. And Ace.  
When he’d reached the bartender’s door, he only looked at Sanji as he’d opened it, tilted his head slightly and casually stepped around Sanji and inside.  
Sanji opened his mouth to protest but Ace turned around with a genuine smile, saying “You look like you’d rather not be alone right now. Since you were my final order tonight, it’s officially wine o’clock for me now.” He motioned with the bottle in his hand and put the food container on the table in the living-room. Sanji stood for a split-second, dumbfounded, then followed the intruder and got them two glasses for the wine. Ace flopped down onto the leather sofa, letting out a sigh, and eyeing Sanji all the while. With the glasses expertly filled, Sanji sat down across from Ace, gazing right back, still unsure what to make of all of this. Due to the distraction, he had all but forgotten about his worries about the following day. He reclined back, taking a careful sip of the red wine. He hadn’t expected much of it, but was pleasantly surprised; the red wine was of a rather fine quality. Before he’d known it, he’d downed his second glass.  
“So,” he began, leaning forward, taking in the darkhaired man sitting across: the tousled hair, the freckles, that carefree smile and ridiculously toned body in the delivery service uniform, “do you do this often, inviting yourself into a customer’s home?”  
Refilling his and Sanji’s glass again, the delivery guy chuckled.  
“That’s my first time, actually.” Sipping his wine, he watched Sanji over the rim of his glass. _

_“I’m Ace, by the way.”_

_“I’m Sanji”_

_“I know. Delivery and all.”_

_“Right.”_

_Sanji felt stupid. And slightly awkward. What was that?  
“That bar, downstairs, is that yours?,” Ace asked, setting down his glass and stretching his shoulders. The top button of his shirt popped open. Sanji stared at the button before raising his gaze back to Ace’s eye level. _

_“Yeah. Grand opening tomorrow.”_

_“It’s going to be great, I’m sure,” Ace replied, now more or less sprawling back on the sofa._

_Sanji’s mouth felt dry; so, he filled the rest of the wine into his glass. The bottle was empty already? He stared at the treacherous glass container. How could that be?  
Ace followed Sanji’s gaze._

_“I could get us another one. Still have one or two in the car,” he offered, sitting up._

_Sanji only nodded, his eyes still fixed on the bottle.  
Ace got up, and went outside to his delivery car, retrieving the last two bottles of wine from the backseat. It was up to him to hand those out, either to loyal returning customers or to new ones ordering a lot of stuff. He didn’t really care, though, so he just gave them to the people he liked and told those he didn’t like that he was out of wine in case they had been expecting a bottle.  
So far, his boss hadn’t noticed. Apparently, no one had complained yet.  
When he got back into the apartment, Sanji was still sitting in his armchair, lost in thought.  
Ace simply opened the next bottle and refilled their glasses; however, he decided to sit on the living-room table, just out of reach of Sanji, but a lot closer than before.  
He didn’t quite know what he was doing there; it was all alcohol-induced base instincts. As Sanji reached for his glass, he lost his balance and was about to crash head-first into the table as Ace caught him, basically pulling him onto his lap._

_“Easy there. Maybe you should have eaten something of the food you ordered, you know?” Ace remarked, his smirk all wide and warm. Sanji gave him a long look. Then he registered the words._

_“Oh. The food. Shit. I completely forgot, I…”_

_“Nevermind. it’ll be alright if you just heat it up again. It’s not wasted if that’s what’s bothering you.”  
Sanji was lost for words. How could this stranger read him so easily? Was he such an open book? He couldn’t quite believe it. Then, he remembered that he was actually still in Ace’s arms. His first reaction was something along the lines of shock, but somehow his body didn’t react that way; quite the contrary; he felt really cozy and comfortable. And the warmth that Ace gave off…  
Sanji inhaled and sighed deeply._

_“Do you want to lie down?,” Ace asked, his voice very close to Sanji’s ear, his breath tickling in the back of his neck. Sanji swallowed. What was going on?_

_“I better,” was all he said, but he didn’t move._

_He felt Ace chuckle behind him._

_“I mean, you can also stay in my lap, I don’t mind. But maybe you should at least have a glass of water or two, don’t you think?”_

_He had that your best friend’s older brother aura going; caring but also mischievous. It did something to Sanji. But he couldn’t quite place it. He nodded and got up slowly, taking a few shaky steps into the direction of his kitchen. He didn’t need to turn around to know that Ace was following him._

_“Nice apartment, by the way,” he complimented, letting his gaze wander this way and that._

_“Uh, thank you. It’s nothing special, really. The kitchen is, maybe. But the rest…,” Sanji said and filled two glasses with tap water and handed one to Ace who gladly accepted it. Drinking his water, Ace kept his eyes on Sanji all the while. Sanji blushed slightly and looked intently at the glass in his hand that was empty already. Ace moved a little closer, took Sanji’s glass from his hands and placed it along with his own on the counter. Then, he casually leaned in and kissed Sanji. Just like that. No warning, nothing. Sanji felt his cheeks go hot and red, unsure what to do. He didn’t pull away, but his mind was racing despite his hazy, intoxicated state. He’d only ever been with women. And he hadn’t had much time lately, with all the preparations for his bar, so there hadn’t been much going on in his love life. For some reason, he felt really drawn to Ace. But he’d never admit it out loud. Did that mean that he was bi? He, who cherished and appreciated nothing more than a beautiful woman? He sighed as Ace pulled away, his eyes closed. Ace’s gaze was intense; as if he was burning up from the inside, Sanji thought as soon as he’d opened his eyes again._

_“I want to sleep with you.”_

_It took Sanji a moment to understand what those words meant. He felt his face flush all over again, and even more this time. How could he just blurt out something like that?! Ace reached out one hand, carefully cupping Sanji’s cheek and caressing it, before sliding back and tousling Sanji’s hair.  
Sanji leaned into the touch. His mind was on high alert, but his body had already agreed.  
Yes. Yes, please. I want that too._

_“Is that a yes?”_

_Sanji gazed at the taller man, his eyes heavy-lidded, his cheeks still pink. He inhaled slowly, then nodded, meeting Ace’s eyes with caution. Ace’s face was illuminated by a broad smile. He grabbed Sanji by the hips and pulled him close, kissing him with a fervor that couldn’t have been only wine-induced. At first, Sanji didn’t quite act on his feelings, still unsure how to act with another man. With a woman, he’d started to guide her into his bedroom; but with Ace, it felt more like he was being guided, though Ace didn’t know where to go. Those strong, warm hands on his sides flipped a switch in Sanji; he slung his arms around Ace’s neck and started moving backward, slowly but surely moving into the direction of his bedroom. Once there, Ace playfully shoved Sanji onto the bed, following him close behind, never breaking their kisses for long. Where Sanji was used to sweet, soft, and shy kissed, Ace’s kissed were hungry and desperate, as if in search of something.  
But Sanji could relate; he also felt strangely needy for touch, skin on skin. He hadn’t felt this way in a long time, if ever. A whole lot of feelings washed over him; curiosity, desire, insecurity, and the comfort provided by Ace’s arms, never letting go of him for long; only to remove pieces of clothing. Or grab for a condom in one of his pants’ pockets. Sanji felt exposed and vulnerable, lying all naked under Ace who had a nicely toned body. He was broader and more muscular than Sanji, lots of freckles decorating his sun-kissed skin where Sanji’s was simply pale all over. Ace felt the change in Sanji’s demeanor. He bent down and trailed a line of soft, open-mouthed kisses along Sanji’s jawline. _

_“It’s okay. Don’t be shy. You’re beautiful. Just look at you,” Ace murmured, nuzzling the nape of Sanji’s neck. Sanji averted his eyes, the ever-present blush on his cheeks._

_“I have never done this before,” he mumbled, effectively talking to his pillows.  
Ace softly touched his face and made him face him._

_“Neither have I. But I won’t do anything you don’t want me to, okay?”_

_Sanji swallowed hard, nodded, and was lost in those dark eyes of Ace’s. He didn’t know why or how, but he trusted Ace. He just did. And he couldn’t deny his physical reaction, his erection pressing against Ace’s, begging for some friction. Ace’s hands wandered over Sanji’s body, caressing, exploring, tickling, and teasing. The blond couldn’t help but moan when Ace touched his hard cock lightly, barely suppressing to buck up and rut against the hand._

_“You’re eager, huh?” Ace remarked, a soft chuckle following his words. “So am I.”_

_He kissed Sanji again, hungrily and deeply, while one of his hands started to circle his entrance, lightly, softly. Sanji tensed, then remembered the bottle of lube in his nightstand and stretched to retrieve it, handing it Ace without looking at him. Ace hummed, using some on his hand, then gently pushed Sanji back into the mattress, whispering, “Just relax. I’ll be gentle,” and started working on him again. Of course, Sanji didn’t relax right away; he was anxious, expected pain and discomfort, and also experienced some shame. But Ace didn’t let him suffer from those bad emotions for long. He leaned in for another kiss, whispering some more sweet nothings, as he carefully slid one finger in, and started stroking Sanji’s cock with his free hand. Overwhelmed, Sanji huffed but relaxed slightly. Ace took his time to let Sanji adjust to the new sensation before he slid another finger in. And then another. Carefully, he started moving his fingers in and out, bending them and finding just the right spot to elicit sweet moans from Sanji. The blond squirmed under his ministrations, moaning softly, a light flush all over his otherwise pale skin. Ace removed the hand that had been stroking Sanji, and used it to roll the condom on after he opened the little pack with his teeth.  
Ace felt tingly all over; he’d never anticipated this night to end like this. He pulled his other hand away, adjusted his position, and lubed his condom-clad cock. _

_“Are you ready?” he asked, his voice husky with desire._

_Sanji nodded again, not trusting his voice. Ace was gentle as he had promised; but still, Sanji gasped at the sensation of Ace sliding into him. Alarmed, Ace stopped mid-motion and looked at Sanji, waiting for a sign to stop altogether or go on._  
After a short moment, Sanji gazed at Ace and mumbled, “Go all the way, I can take it.”  
Ace happily obliged, groaning while doing so. 

_“Kiss me,” Sanji huffed, and Ace did before starting to roll his hips, slowly and carefully._

_It was a messy kiss; all moans and tongues. As was all of their love play. Still, neither had a reason to complain. Ace’s movements became more natural, faster, and more and more on point. He groaned while Sanji moaned, finding a rhythm that suited them both, followed by an abrupt climax on Sanji’s side, with Ace trailing behind only seconds. Gasping, they lay in each other’s arms for a while, just gazing at one another, unsure what to say. Sanji felt somewhat uncomfortable but before he could voice his concerns, Ace had fallen asleep, one arm sprawled over Sanji’s side. It had been intense, but in a gentle way, if that made any sense. Maybe it was a good thing he had found Ace for his first time with another man? Then again, if there hadn’t been Ace, maybe there would never have been such? Confused, Sanji got up and lit a cigarette. Only a few more hours until the opening. But he didn’t feel anxious anymore. No, he felt much more like taking on the world now. Ace had done something to him; he couldn’t quite put it into words, but he felt he had changed. And he would have to come to terms with it._


End file.
